Nov 1, 2007 11:58 AM

I am new to the sport and have enjoyed what I have seen thus far. I am curious to hear who YOU think are the best cyclists around so I know who to look out for. I know of Lance Armstrong and have read his book, which I thought was a great read for any athlete, but I would love to know about more great cyclists.

Who do you think are the best cyclists or cyclists I should look out for? Thanks!!

I was a fan of George hincapie but he's getting long in the tooth (heck I think he may even be retired now) I started watching the TDF with lance but am now a fan. if you get VS definitely check it out the sunday cyclsm you learn a lot from watching the races and the broadcaster phil leggett is awesome

I'm not really getting attached to any riders right now with the sport being in flux like it is. I think I'll keep watching and enjoying the races but don't know if I will fully trust the sport anymore.

goals for 2011:

break 19minutes for 5k

break 2:42 for olympic triathlon probably Anthracite olympic

break 3:16 for marathon ( a long shot but it's fun putting yourself out there)

Well, these days, it's tough to say. Folks have mentioned the doping, and that's an unfortunate reality. But, don't let that stop you from being a fan. The pro peleton is full of great riders who can be an inspiration and great fun to watch and cheer for. In part, it depends on what gets you excited. You could choose to root for a younger, up and coming rider, someone at the top of his (or her) game, someone good at the longer grand tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana), some one who specializes at the one-day classics in the spring, etc.

One suggestion would be to get some DVDs from recent races -- this year's Tour de France, the 2007 Spring Classics, etc. Yes, you'll have to wade through all the riders who won big races and were then found guilty of doping. But, don't let that stop you from seeing the excitement, the incredible feats, etc. in between all that.

Another idea, if you want to root for a team or certain riders, would be to root for Team Slipstream. Led by former US Postal Rider and Lance Armstrong teammate Jonathan Vaughters, this team is all about changing the sport of cycling and eliminating the shadow of doping on the sport. They are implementing state-of the-art internal drug testing. And, they've recruited quite a cadre of big names and up-and-coming riders in the sport. As someone knew to the sport, I think you might find this team a good fit. Check it out.

Nice. I think I would be a fan of a younger up and coming rider. Any you can think of? I'm going to look into it for sure. Also, Team Slipstream sounds awesome. It's good to hear that some cyclists at least are fighting back against the bad rep the sport has received. I'm very interested in finding out more about this team and who is on it. Great info!! Thanks

Picking a young rider to follow is always a bit tricky. Like most sports, there are more riders hyped as the next Armstrong/Indurain/Mercx/etc... But living up to such expectations is, of course, rare. And, again, these days, you risk being disappointed by a doping scandal. But, it's still great to follow the sport and watch new talents emerge.

Two of the three Grand Tours have a classification for honoring the best young rider (under age 25), so that's a good place to start.

For the 2007 Tour de France, the best young rider (white jersey) was also the overall winner of the race (yellow jersey) -- Alberto Contador of Spain, who raced for Discovery Channel Team. His was an impressive performance, marred somewhat by the doping scandals that eliminated a number of other contenders during the race. But, he rode courageously, aggressively, and tenaciously. So, it was fun to watch him.

In the Giro d'Italia, the best young rider was Andy Schleck, who also finished second overall in the race. So, again, another grand tour where young riders placed high overall.

To my knowledge, the Vuelta a Espana does not have a best young rider classification.

Here's a link to the final standings in 2007 for the Best Younger Rider in each Grand Tour:

For many years, Tom Danielson was hyped as the "next Lance Armstrong" by some. Now 29, Danielson has won some races for Team Discovery, but has never really placed well in a grand tour. He signed this year to ride next year with Team Slipstream, so we'll see how that works out. American fan favorites Dave Zabrieski and Christian Van de Velde are also racing next year for Slipstream. Zabrieski is also 29, is the reigning US Time Trial Champion, and wore the yellow jersey for eight stages of the 2005 Tour de France, before crashing out.

Plenty of choices, as you can see! Just start watching and so who wins your heart...

Maurice -- you mention DVDs, but do you know of any websites that have footage from the TDF or other major races? The TDF -- and cycling in general -- gets so little coverage here and what I did find on the official site or on places like this site / ESPN / etc. had mostly blogs and slide shows but not a lot of video. I found a handful of mostly older videos on YouTube, but not much else. Any suggestions?

Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win.

I would guess that a lot depends on the type of riding that you yourself do. Some of my favorites are riders who have excelled in more than one type of racing. As most of us know, Lance is a tour racer and a marathoner. He also did tri's in his teen years and has been known to do some mountain bike races. Another of my favorites is Tinker Juarez. He is in his mid 40s. He has roots in BMX racing, was a champion mountain bike racer, currently does extremely well as a 24 hr solo mountain bike racer and has also finished respectably in the RAAM race in recent years. As a collective group, I would also have to say that the bike messengers that ride in the cities are my heros. I am simply amazed at what these people are capable of.

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